As the first employee at SAS Canada, his responsibilities have included operational and finance functions, such as outsourcing sales, compensation and human resources, information services (including MIS and data centre operations), facilities management, software and documentation distribution, and corporate legal functions. Prior to joining SAS, he was employed in mergers and acquisitions by Ernst & Young.

Mr. Bowden is a former co-chair the Information Technology Association of Canada's (ITAC) Finance and Taxation Committee and sits with the association's Compensation and Software committees. He is a former member of the board of directors of ITAC Ontario and represents the industry provincially on committees dealing with government legislation impacting the software industry.

Mr. Bowden is a graduate of the University of Toronto, having done graduate work in physiology and clinical biochemistry. He is a chartered accountant and received his MBA from the Schulich School of Business.